TENNIS ace Martina Hingis has been handed a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine, it was announced today.

The International Tennis Federation have confirmed that the 27-year-old
Swiss star was found to have taken cocaine while competing at Wimbledon
last year.

The former world number one challenged the findings but the ITF has now
rejected her appeal and handed out a two-year ban starting from October
1, 2007.

Hingis, who has since retired from the sport, has also had to forfeit
ranking points and prize money from Wimbledon and any subsequent
tournaments.

A statement from the ITF said: “The International Tennis Federation
announced today that an independent Anti-Doping Tribunal convened under
the 2007 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme has found that Martina Hingis, a
27-year-old Swiss tennis player, has committed a Doping Offence.

“Following a two-day hearing in December 2007, an independent
Anti-Doping Tribunal found that a sample provided by Ms Hingis on 29
June 2007 at the Wimbledon Championships in London, England, had tested
positive for a metabolite of cocaine.

The
statement added: “The Tribunal also rejected Ms Hingis’ plea of No (or
No Significant) Fault or Negligence, on the basis that no mitigation
was possible as it had not been shown how the cocaine entered her
system.”

In a spectacular career, Hingis
won 43 WTA singles titles during her career, including five grand slams.

She spent three years out of the sport before returning to the tour in
2006, and won three titles in Kolkata, Roma and Tokyo before retiring
in November last year following the announcement of her positive drugs
test.